After three days of traveling through the Thousand Fog Mountains, they finally reached one of the nine inner mountains at the center.
All that was left to do was to scale the mountains to reach the upper regions of the Thousand Fog Mountains.
If they could reach the top, they’ll definitely have a better idea of where to look for Eniwse in such a vast region.
“Although finding Eniwse and stopping the Fallen Witches are both important, I think we should consider Hester’s request, Teacher Raphna,” Astoria voiced her opinion.
“We have been traveling non-stop for the past three days. Rest is required to recover our strength. Considering the Thousand Fog Illusion Dragon guards the upper regions, I believe it’s in our best interest to be in our peak states once we reach it.”
“I think rest is good, Lord Vahn,” Aeliana also inputted her opinion, but her eyes revealed other plans than just simply resting.
Vaan naturally knew what she was thinking, but he wasn’t against it.
Allowing the body to be nourished by mana through dual practice was even better than regular rest. But only if it was done in moderation.
Furthermore, the mana at the center of the Thousand Fog Mountains was especially rich and abundant, whether it was in the air or underground.
Mana was overflowing with purity and richness.
“Let us stop here and rest then,” Vaan agreed with a nod.
“However, a camp in the open will only attract the attention of nearby wandering beasts. So we’ll move underground.”
“Tia, make a cave for us,” Vaan asked shortly after.
“Kyuuu!”
Topaz did a cute little salute as if she had received and understood the instruction like a soldier in the military.
Thanks to their shared spiritual connection, she knew how Vaan wanted the cave’s layout to be.
Shortly after she commanded the earth to follow her will, a main cave with three additional smaller caves connected to it was created.
With a bit of decoration with additional magic, the underground cave quickly became a suitable dwelling place.
After the group moved in, Topaz sealed the entrance but also left enough gaps for air to enter and fill the cave.
“Hm?” Astoria noticed the number of rooms and asked, “Why are there only three rooms, Teacher Raphna?”
“What do you mean why? I don’t need my own room, Headmaster Astoria,” Vaan casually said.
“You mean you’re going to share someone’s room? Would Lady Hester or Lord Aeliana be willing, though?” Astoria wondered aloud with furrowed brows despite faintly already knowing the answer.
“Definitely.”
“Definitely.”
Hester and Aeliana replied simultaneously.
“Hm?” Aeliana stared at Hester with a frown and couldn’t help but cuss, “Skank! You already had Lord Vahn to yourself for two days straight. How do you expect to fight if you can’t even walk properly?”
“So it’s my turn, alright?!” Aeliana asserted.
She looked like she was ready to fight to the death with Hester over Vaan’s affection. She had been waiting for this moment since she returned from Sunpeak Town.
The corners of Hester’s eyes slightly twitched before she wryly smiled and said, “Lord Aeliana has a point. I won’t fight with you. I do need some proper rest.”
“Oh?” Aeliana uttered with surprise after seeing Hester back down before casually saying, “I see. So we all good then.”
“Behave yourself, Lord Aeliana.”
“Yes, Lord Vahn.”
After Vaan reprimanded Aeliana on her attitude toward Hester, he made his way over to one of the three small caves.
“Everyone fine with me taking the leftmost cave with Lord Aeliana?” Vaan inquired.
After Hester and Astoria consented, their eyes bulged the next moment when they saw Vaan taking out a whole bed from his storage space.
“Y-You’ve brought a bed?! Since when did you get one, Teacher Raphna?” Astoria asked with astonishment.
“Why, since we stopped by Misty Leaf Town for supplies, of course,” Vaan nonchalantly replied before smiling. “Why do you ask, Headmaster Astoria?”
Astoria’s lips quickly twitched after hearing Vaan’s response.
When one talked about supplies for the trip to the Thousand Fog Mountains, one would think about spices, food, potions, water, and other necessities.
Who would have thought that Vaan would bring a whole damn bedframe, mattress, and all?
Nevertheless, when Astoria thought about it, she regretted not bringing her own bed. A high-quality bed would provide a much more comfortable rest than some thick and rough blankets.
“N-Never mind, Teacher Raphna,” Astoria was unwilling to continue the topic.
Evidently, Vaan came prepared.
Sometime later, the group gathered around the campfire in the main cave to have a meal.
Astoria used the meat of Mountain Bull that was hunted on their way and cooked it in the black metal pot hanging over the fire.
The meat was diced into small pieces with a clean knife before it was added with some light seasoning of salt and pepper. Some chopped carrots and potatoes were also added to the pot.
Besides the high-quality Rank 3 meat used in the beef stew, the rest of the ingredients were of ordinary quality.
Thus, the overall quality of the beef stew was also ordinary.
Even so, the smell of beef stew quickly lifted everyone’s mood and appetite once it was ready. After all, it was their first meal in three days.
Topaz also got a share of the beef stew, while the Volcan Wolf preferred the raw bull meat—or so it expressed.
However, it kept stealing glances at the pot of beef stew and wondered whether it had made the right choice.
Compared to the food in the pot, the large chunk of raw meat it received didn’t look all that special and delicious.
“Awr…” the Volcan Wolf silently whimpered.
Meanwhile, Vaan fed some of his portion of the beef stew to Topaz with a wooden spoon. Due to her size, she could only sip a little of the stew at a time.
Even so, each sip made her gasp heartily with joy, as if she was sipping the most delicious drink she ever had.
“Kyuuu!” Topaz exclaimed.
Astoria was so fascinated watching the little fairy that she couldn’t help but forget to eat her own meal.
Little did everyone know, Topaz was converted into a foodie after trying the beef stew.
Elemental spirits didn’t need to eat since they got all their sustenance from the elements they were attuned to.
However, humanoid spirits like Topaz still had a sense of taste and could enjoy human food.